MADRID – Rafael Nadal suffered his first clay-court defeat in almost a year when the world number one was shocked 7-5, 6-3 by Austria's Dominic Thiem in the Madrid Open quarter-finals on Friday.
Defending champion Nadal, who came into the tournament having won his 11th titles at Monte Carlo and at Barcelona, also saw his record 50-set winning streak on clay ended by the fifth-seeded Thiem.
Thiem had been the last player to defeat Nadal on clay at the Italian Open in Rome almost 12 months ago.
Austria's Dominic Thiem in action during his men's singles quarter-final match against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the Madrid Open. Photo: Kiko Huesca/EPA
The streak is over! @ThiemDomi shocks Rafael Nadal, ending the World No. 1's 21-match winning streak on clay, advancing to the semi-finals @MutuaMadridOpen.
Read More ➡️ https://t.co/qk9d9Lf9pA pic.twitter.com/Y48G37a3lo
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) May 11, 2018
The shock result also means that Roger Federer will reclaim the world number one ranking on Monday.